The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-09-22
living alone, far in advance OF clvili sation
anu far removed from mankind. But
when l see something OF this kind Of

living alone, far in advance OF civil zation
anu lar removed from mankind. But
when see something OF this kind Of
nearer range, 1t losoa some Of ita romance,
Here In British Columbia lived those
men, farther from civilization than KEN
lucky was from Philadelphia, and when !
came and saw how they are living, the
gilt Of the romance was brushed oil. Il
would be all nice enough 10 commune
with nature In these solitudea for a while I;
put, one don't want to commune too long.
In order to fully appreciate nature and
quietude, one mix occasionally with man.
kind and with confusion.
40 to these men living here alone, I In.
CURED rather clogely, Tor was intercsted
IN their case. Some Of them, no man
knows who they were, whence they came,
or what their history haa been. Ex!lcs
perhaps from the human race, thoy have
wandered of TO the wilderness to dc, and
nave lived on and on, and here arc yet
found old aud myateriouu. Some are
ea'lora who were thrown on The shores OF
the Weatern coaat, or who deserted, and
have found their way horc, and never re-
turned. Some are ot that lnystsrious race
Of gold hunters who thirty and forty years
ago ransacked all the western world for
the preclous metals. Thoy are scattered
far and wide now. Tho most Of them arc
dead. Some yet live, and those who 1.-Two
arc oil peculiar class. have met them
IN many wilderness where l had thought
that no one but ! had ever been. They
are hermits, living In tho memory OF days
gone by. They searched for the gold that
lured them on, and searched until thoy
gave up In despair, and settled down to
live and die where they were when they
gave up hope. :
1t acema that gold.hunter and an
opium eater are something alike. Tai.
mage Hays TINT the drnnkard may reform
and the gambler may repent, but for the
opium eater there 10 no hope. It Ia in
measure 80 with the eoli.hunter, 1t
seems that he is never fit for anything
else. II he fails in getting gold-and he
nearly always faila-he sinks into cullen
dependency, illumined once In while
by q dream Of what he has hoped for in
by.gone yea.n. He builds him a hut by
some stream, or under some forest where
he thinks no one will ever come, and
there he paases the rest Of his exist.
ence. "I ~
| had expected to find none Of them in
this remote border OF British Columbia;
but, when l met with them, began look.
Ing about for tho gold mines, for these
gold hunters are sllured on by mines and
by suritsrous sands, which they trace hun.
dreds OF miles up the rivera. I did not
have to look long nor look In vain ior
near along tho edge Of the river saw the
old trenches and pits where they had
sought for the gold. It had been 60 long
ago that tbs diggings had caved in, and
the briers and bIambles had grown all
over the trenches. Sill 1t was plain to bs
seen what had been done there; and then
1t was explained why those solitary huts
were among the forests. 1t was here that
the miner had done his Last work, and
here he had grown discouraged, and here
he had thrown down hia shovel and pick
Tor the last time, and here since then he
has lived, and here will he die. Nm,